Friday, September 30, 2016

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with lemon oil.

For my drink of the day at Loyal Nine two Fridays ago, I tried to honor the full moon the night before, the Harvest Moon, with an autumnal libation. Apple and Benedictine are a great pairing such as in the Full House #2, and apple and cinnamon have always been together in the culinary world. Without intention, the drink did seem like a cinnamon and Angostura for orange liqueur swap in a Honeymoon Cocktail, and the effect was just as delightful.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass with ice. Float 1/4 oz Fernet (Fernet Branca) and garnish with a lemon slice and an orange slice (orange twist).

Two Thursdays ago for my post-shift libation, I turned to Imbibe where the Broken Corazon Club seemed like a delightful refresher. The recupe was crafted by Damaris Peterson of Portland's High Noon, and the combination seemed like a Mary Pickford with a different rum choice as well as the additions of lime juice and a Fernet float. Moreover, the Fernet float reminded me of the Fratelli Sling, so I garnished with an orange twist like that drink did.

The Broken Corazon Club shared a herbal-menthol and orange oil bouquet. Next, lime and grenadine on the sip led into the funky combination of grassy rum melding into nutty cherry on the swallow that was joined towards the end of the drink by a bitter menthol finish.

For my drink of the day at Loyal Nine two weeks ago, I was inspired in writing about Martin Cate's Abricot Vieux from the Smuggler's Cove Cocktail Book to have re-discovered John Gertsen's Rhum Agricot that he crafted at Drink. Both drinks share rhum agricole and apricot liqueur; moreover, from Cate's recipe, I imported the Regan's Orange and Angostura Bitters, and from Gertsen's, I nicked the dry vermouth. As an additional element, I threw in falernum to complement the citrus and spice elements in the mix. Finally, as a name, I dubbed this one the Mount Pelée after the active volcano that occasionally destroys rhum distilleries and towns on Martinique.

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a Delmonico or Sour glass, and top with a dash of soda (Sour glass containing 1/2 oz soda, topped with an additional 1/4 oz soda). Garnish with a mint leaf wetted in Cointreau and coated with powdered sugar (naked mint leaf).

Two Wednesdays ago, I reached for Charles H. Baker's 1951 The South American Gentleman's Companion and spotted the Bahia Busy Bee. The drink was sourced from "the files of Dom Manoel Condé in Bahia, now called São Salvador, Brazil," and was also listed in Portuguese as the Coctel Abelha Active. I was drawn to the recipe for it reminded me of a Bee's Knees crossed with a White Lady and a Mint Billy.

The Bahia Busy Bee gave forth mint and juniper aromas that preceded a creamy, carbonated lemon sip. Next, the drink concluded with a gin, orange, and mint swallow.

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry (omit) and lemon oil.

Two Tuesdays ago, I turned to a recipe that I had spotted in Harry John's 1882 Bartender's Manual called the Trilby Cocktail. The Trilby later appeared as two variations in the 1930 Savoy Cocktail Book with the first one being a 50-50 sweet vermouth and gin Martini with orange bitters, and I wrote about Max Toste's variation that included a float of crème de violette. The second one in the Savoy is a bizarre equal part number of whisky, sweet vermouth, and parfait d'amour with absinthe and orange bitters utilized as accents; Erik Ellestad declared it, "Wow, this is possibly THE least appealing cocktail I've made so far from the Savoy Cocktail Book. Not only does it taste and smell like Grandma Squeezins', but it is also a most unappealing inky black color, as if you had spilled squid ink into a glass. Who knew Grandma had such a black heart? I can't really think of anything to recommend it." Johnson's earlier recipe has the advantage of turning the drink into a Roy Roy with parfait d'amour, absinthe, and orange bitters accents and subduing the floral candy aspect considerably.

Harry Johnson's Trilby began with lemon, peat smoke, and only a hint of floral notes on the nose. Next, a sweet grape and orange sip transitioned into Scotch, vanilla-floral, and absinthe flavors on the swallow.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Shake with ice and strain into a sugar-rimmed glass. Garnish with lemon oil, a long lemon twist, and a mint sprig.

Later that Monday night, I turned to Imbibe's drink archives to find a good rye whiskey recipe. There, I spotted a 2014 Crusta recipe by Brynn Smith of Los Angeles' Sotto that included Cynar and mint along with the more more traditional Crusta ingredients of lemon, Maraschino, and orange liqueur. Once built, the Pie-O-My offered up a lemon and mint bouquet. Next, malt, lemon, and caramel on the sip gave way to rye, orange, Maraschino, and minty-bitter herbal flavors on the swallow.

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, float a rose petal, and twist lemon oil over the petal.
(*) Here, made with 1 1/2 oz and 3/4 oz respectively for the pop-up.

Two Mondays ago, I ventured down to Kendall Square during the afternoon for the Area Four pop-up event at State Park. Bartenders Dan Lynch and Augusto Lino were showcasing some of the drinks for the Area Four location opening soon on the Ink Block in Boston. For a cocktail, I asked Dan Lynch for the Shakespearean reference, Any Other Name, and Dan explained how they riffed on the classic Attention Cocktail but switched the vermouth from dry to blanc and the floral liqueur from violette to rose. He also explained his garnish technique where he preferred to spritz the floated rose petal with the lemon oil instead of the liquid's surface since the citrus oils did not get lost into the drink and remained for the nose's appreciation longer.

The Any Other Name showcased the garnish's lemon and floral aromas along with a berry note from the gin. Next, the blanc vermouth filled the sip with a sweet white grape flavor, and the swallow offered gin, rose, and berry elements with an anise finish.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Blend with 3 oz crushed ice for 5 seconds and pour into a Pilsner glass (shake with ice, strain into a Tiki mug, and fill with crushed ice). Garnish with a mint sprig (mint and flowers).

After my shift two Sundays ago, I was in the mood for a Tiki libation so I turned to Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari. There, I selected Don Beachcomber's Sumatra Kula created in Hollywood circa 1934 that appeared like a Honey Bee or Honeysuckle with a medley of citrus instead of lemon. Once built, the Sumatra Kula's garnishes added floral and mint aromas to the bouquet. Next, honey balanced the lime and other citrus notes on the sip, and the rum joined further lime flavors on the swallow with a grapefruit-tinged finish.

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass containing 2 oz soda water. Top with crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig and borage flowers. Floating a barspoon of funky Jamaican rum like Wray & Nephew or Smith & Cross would not be out of place here (originally intended but left out of this drink of the day recipe).
(*) Here, a tea made from a steep with hot simple syrup, but muddling mint sprigs in simple syrup and straining will work well.

For my drink of the day at Loyal Nine two Sundays ago, I decided to make a mashup of two popular summer drinks -- namely a cross between a Mint Julep and a Pimm's Cup. From the Julep, I kept the Bourbon, mint, and crushed ice aspects and I considered floating a barspoon of Jamaican rum which is a technique called for in a few late 19th century drink books (I left it out since I figured that the extra ingredient would confuse the verbal description of the drink by servers at the tables); and from the Pimm's Cup, I kept the Pimm's, lemon, soda, and borage flower garnishes. The combination of Pimm's, Bourbon, and lemon worked rather well in the Hungry like the Wolf, but this combination went in a different direction with the mint and without the ginger beer and elderflower liqueur.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with orange twist oil (did not discard the twist).

Two Saturdays ago, I felt like trying some of the straight spirits drinks in Martin Cate's Smuggler's Cove cocktail book, since the weather was getting a bit cooler. The one I turned to first was an aged rhum agricole cocktail that sweetened the spirit with apricot liqueur similar to John Gertsen's Rhum Agricot that called for unaged rhum agricole. Once prepared, the Abricot Vieux shared an orange, apricot, and grassy bouquet. Next, orchard fruit flavors on the sip transitioned into grassy rum and dry winter spice on the swallow.

Friday, September 23, 2016

Build in a Double Old Fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, stir to mix and chill, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Fridays ago, I honed in for my post-shift nightcap a recipe that I spotted on Punch Drinksarticle on the Ferrari and other 50:50 shots and drinks. The Ferrari is an equal parts mix of Fernet and Campari that I wrote about previously in the Ferrari Colada, but it has not seemed to get much action in Boston over just plain Fernet shots. The article's recipe that I wanted to make was The Black Stallion Sets Sail by John Parra and Kyle Henkin of Fox Liquor Bar in Raleigh, NC; they described the concoction as "a neo-tiki Negroni" and the name reminded me of the Fernet-laden Follow that Black Rabbit.

The Black Stallion Sets Sail proffered orange, dark molasses, and herbal menthol notes to the nose. Next, grape, caramel, and orange flavors on the sip led into dark rum and a light minty-menthol note on the swallow. Definitely the drink would be a bit of a beast if the bitter-neutralizing salt aspect had not been included in the mix.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Shake with ice and strain into a coupe glass containing 1 oz soda water. Garnish with a floated lemon twist.

In thinking about new low octane drink recipes at Loyal Nine, I was inspired by the Baldwin Bar's vermouth Collins, the Dame en Rouge. I also took into consideration my Safety Dance that was removed from the menu after our tea company discontinued the blossom oolong that was the driving syrup force. Using the all sweet vermouth base of the Dame en Rouge and swapping the tea and lemon of the Safety Dance for chai tea and lime, I was rather pleased with the results. I almost dubbed this one the Red Five as a Star Wars allusion, but instead I ended up naming it the Red Dragon.

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an olive (omit) and lemon oil (lemon twist).

Two Thursdays ago, I finished making my way through Harry Johnson's 1882 Bartender's Manual (a 1934 reprint) mostly to read his century-plus truisms and advice about running a bar. In the recipe section which I had studied in the past, I had found a few drinks that I had missed in the past including the Irish Cocktail. Overall, the Irish Cocktail reminded me of a Fancy crossed with an Improved Irish Whiskey Old Fashioned.

The Irish Cocktail gave forth lemon, absinthe, and soft whiskey notes to the nose. Next, the malt continued on into the sip where it mingled with the Maraschino's cherry, and the swallow offered Irish whiskey and hints of orange and nutty cherry flavors with an absinthe and spice finish.

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Wednesdays ago, I stopped into Craigie on Main to pay bartender Rob Ficks a visit. For a drink, I selected his Pastry War off of the menu. The name is a reference to the first French intervention in Mexico in 1838 that ended with a British-brokered peace; it was later followed by the second French-Mexican conflict in 1861 that ended with the installation of Emperor Maximilian and provided inspiration for the Maximilian Affair cocktail name. Overall, the drink reminded me a bit of a mezcal Twentieth Century with hints of Ibsen's Door. Actually, Rob did not intend to create a mezcal recipe, but the original's Bourbon direction fell a little short, and he tried other spirits.

The Pastry War greeted the nose with lemon, smoke, and a darker note from either the Averna or crème de cacao. Next, lemon and caramel paired on the sip and gave way to smoky agave, caramel, and cacao on the swallow with a smoke finish that captured the lemon's tartness as well.

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.
(*) Perhaps sub a ginger liqueur.

The drink that Andrea requested at Backbar was bartender Sam Cronin's Lonely Dark. Sam explained that he had gotten into cocktail mashups lately, and this was his cross of a Widow's Kiss and a Kiss in the Dark. Sam also mentioned that he was inspired by the Widow's Word mashup that he had seen on this blog.

Once the drink described on the menu as "strong and sad" was prepared, it gave forth an herbal aroma that led into a sip that was vaguely fruit flavored from the cherry and perhaps other ingredients. Most of the intrigue lay in the swallow that offered gin and herbal notes with an apple and ginger finish.

Two Tuesdays, Andrea and I desired digestif-style nightcaps after having a large dinner, so we stopped into Backbar on the way home. For a cocktail, I asked bartender Kat Lamper for the Apricottage which was described on their summer whiskey section of the menu as a "comfy cozy summer sipper." Kat also mentioned that the recipe was the handiwork of Josh Cross, and I was drawn to it due to the way apricot works well with amaro and other herbal liqueurs like Swedish Punsch. Once stirred and strained, the Apricottage presented an apricot aroma that gave way to a caramel and grape sip. Next, rye began the swallow that ended with an apricot-dark herbal combination.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Build in a Double Old Fashioned glass, add a large ice cube, and stir to chill. Garnish with a brandied cherry (Luxardo Maraschino cherry).

Two Mondays ago, I was in the mood for a nightcap, so I reached for Robert Simonson's The Old Fashioned Book for a stiff drink recipe. There, I selected Theo Lieberman's McKittrick Old Fashioned that he crafted at Milk & Honey in Manhattan circa 2011. The name was inspired by the Punch Drunk's Sleep No More New York City production which was set in the fictional McKittrick Hotel. Moreover, the structure of spirit, bitters, and sweet fortified wine instead of syrup reminded me of Ryan McGrale's Madeira Old Fashioned. Once built, the McKittrick Old-Fashioned shared an aroma of raisins and Bourbon. Next, a rich grape and malt sip led into a whiskey and chocolate-covered raisins swallow.

I just finished reading Eight Flavors: The Untold Story of American Cuisine, and it got me thinking of a drink of the day at Loyal Nine that was rather successful but had not been published here. The author of the book is Sarah Lohman whom I followed on her historical food and drink blog, Four Pounds of Flour for a bit before meeting her in person on her 19th Century Pub Crawl adventure back in 2011. That led to a blog post exchange where Sarah wrote about the return of Damson plum liqueur which I believe disappeared from cocktail books around the 1930s.

Sarah's book discusses how certain outside flavors have entered into American cuisine and been adopted by the masses. She skipped over chocolate and coffee for those flavors have filled up books on their own, but chose to include black pepper, vanilla, chili powder, curry powder, soy sauce, garlic, MSG, and Sriracha. In each chapter are colorful histories of important but lesser known characters who pushed the flavors along such as the infamous Chili Queens or the 12 year old who figured out how to get vanilla orchids to fertilize and produce vanilla pods with great efficiency. The chapter that got me thinking about drinks I have created was the one on curry powder; I have included my chef's Piccalilli spice blend into two drinks with the first one being our house hot buttered rum batter over the winter.

Lohman's interest in this group of spice blends began on a foodie "curry crawl" through New York City, and she surmises that the Asian Indian ethnicity being the third largest immigrant group after Mexican and Chinese has not hurt curry's acceptance into American cuisine. The book goes into the tales of celebrity chef Ranji Smile who really helped popularize it in the late 19th century; however, curry has been used in America for over 200 years well before Smile's time. The term curry has grown to include spice mixes from other parts of Asian including Thailand and China as well. Curry perhaps got a solid start in early America for several of the spices have antimicrobial properties and are thus good for food preservation.

Curry traveled back from India to England through the British East India Company, and the desire to eat such foods traveled back with the soldiers, merchants, and officials who spent time over there. The British fascination with curry made its way to America in the mid 18th century, with Hannah Glasse's 1747 The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy book becoming popular with the Colonists. Curries then made their way into American-penned books starting with Mary Randolph's The Virginia Housewife in 1824.

At Loyal Nine, chef Marc Sheehan latched onto the Piccalilli curry spice blend that became popular in America. The term stems from Hannah Glasse's 1747 book with the section on how "to make Paco-Lilla, or Indian Pickle" perhaps as a take on the 1694 recipe to make "Pickle Lila." The spelling settled on Piccalilli around 1799. Recipes vary widely with a subset of mustard seed, turmeric root, and hot pepper being included in most recipes. The first reference to Piccalilli in America was 1856 in a list of imported English goods and later in an 1878 recipe and in 1880s jokes. Our house piccalilli includes mustard, turmeric, hot pepper (I leave this one out of our drink mixes though), and four other spices. After having great success with the spice blend in our Hot Buttered Rum batter (that worked not only with rum but with Malort!), I decided to make a spiced syrup with the mix that later found its way into a drink of the day.

The idea came to me on my flight back from Tales of the Cocktail this past July with a note to myself to make a Grog with the syrup that I had made a month or so before. However, the drink came into fruition when a regular requested an Indian-inspired drink, and luckily I had the syrup and the spirits handy. For spirits, I opted for Indian rum accented with Indonesian Batavia Arrack. Given the guest's pleasure with the mix, I put the recipe into action as one of our drinks of the day with a similar level of success. For a name, I opted for the 1726 reference to Gulliver's Travels in how the ingredients were quite mobile across the world.

My copy of Eight Flavors was sent to me as an advance copy, but it is available on pre-order on Amazon.com for a December 6th release.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

The theme for this month's Mixology Monday (MxMo CXI) was picked by Rebecca of the Shrubbery blog. The theme she chose was "Drink Nerdy," and she elaborated on the choice with her description of, "The thing that unites everyone who participates in MxMo is our love of cocktails. We love the history, the alchemy, the artistry, and of course the drinking. Loads of us go to conventions, collect memorabilia, read books about all manner of boozy subjects, and tour distilleries like they're sacred places. One might say, we're nerds. I say, what else are you nerdy for? For the purposes of this challenge I'm going to define a nerdy pursuit as: anything from or related to science, science fiction, fantasy, video games, role playing games/characters, or comics. Come up with a cocktail that celebrates or is inspired by a nerdy thing you love. A Cosmo variation for Neil deGrasse Tyson? The perfect sip for Sarah and her Goblin King to share? A beer based cocktail for that barbarian you played in your college D&D game? Star Trek? Anything you are enthusiastic about."

As I pondered the topic over the last week or so, I thought about my nerdy pursuits, past and present. While an avid collector of Star Wars figurines from Episode 4 through 6 (really, they are episodes 1-3 to me since I skipped watching the rest and perhaps I was not collecting by the time the last of the trilogy rolled out), I figured that Star Wars had been done quite a bit especially with the yearly "May the 4th" celebrations across the world. So I considered one of my nerdy pursuits back in high school which was astronomy. One of the high schools in town was lucky enough to have a planetarium and observatory that I got my introduction to as an elementary school student via a yearly visit. Once enrolled into that high school, I was able to take the astronomy course as well as spend my study hall periods helping to grind reflecting mirrors and assist during elementary school visits to the planetarium. I even had my own reflecting telescope as well as subscription to Astronomy Magazine.

With my discovery of Combier's Liqueur de Rose as a close enough substitute for crème de rose, my mind immediately turned to a drink in William Schmidt's 1891 The Flowing Bowl that had previously mocked me (due to the lack of rose cordial) called The Sun. Schmidt was rumored to have created a drink each day as well as many impromptu drinks, and he was quite known for his showmanship as well as his lack of fear of multi-ingredient and complicated drinks (see the Queen of Sheba, for example). The Sun is absurd and is one that Schmidt scholars have spoken about. Not only does the build require the rose liqueur, two other liqueurs, two spirits, two juices, and sugar, it requires the acquisition of snow which makes it a bit seasonal. Luckily, Schmidt provided the option for the other 3 seasons of the year to use stiffly beaten sweetened egg whites in place of the snow. The pièce de résistance is to write the word "The Sun" with grated nutmeg on the snow or egg white and then decorate with fruit. How can this be done? Via a stencil? Slowly tapping pre-grated nutmeg from a folded sheet of paper to craft each letter? Tweezers? I obviously lacked the magic and finesse of The Only William and had to make a few adjustments.

The Sun
The juice of half an orange (1 oz) and half a lime (1/2 oz) in the bottom of a large, thin glass; add and dissolve a spoonful of powdered sugar with a dash of mineral water (omit sugar and mineral water).
• 1 pony of fine brandy (1 oz Camus VS Cognac)
• 1/2 pony of Jamaican rum (1/2 oz Rum Fire)
• 1 dash Benedictine (1/3 oz)
• 1 dash Curaçao (1/3 oz Senior Curaçao)
• 1 dash crème de rose (1/3 oz Combier Liqueur de Rose)
Mix this thoroughly (shake with ice briefly and strain into the glass), fill your glass with fine ice (crushed ice via Lewis Bag); stir well; ornament with frozen snow in the centre, and the brim with fruits (omit fruits); write on the top of the snow "The Sun," with nutmeg (write "Sun" with drops of Angostura Bitters and grate nutmeg over the rest of the snow). Should you have no real snow, beat up the white of an egg with a little fine sugar (1 egg white, 1/2 tsp cane crystal sugar).

Okay, just the recipe alone is pure nerdom in the cocktail sense without even needing a theme like astronomy to tie it back to this Mixology Monday. I listed my ingredient choices, substitutions, and omissions to get this drink done to the best of my technical and inventory capabilities. Once prepared, The Sun shared a nutmeg aroma that was joined with allspice and other notes from the bitters. Next, the sip through a straw was mellow from the orange juice and curaçao with some crispness from the lime. Finally, the swallow offered brandy and Jamaican rum funk flavors that concluded with a floral and herbal finish.

So thank you to Rebecca of the Shrubbery blog for getting us to reveal something nerdy about ourselves and to celebrate the occasion with cocktails! And thank you to the rest of the participants and readers for keeping this event going to see the 111th iteration of this online cocktail party!

Two Sundays ago for the cocktail hour, I reached for my copy of Gaz Regan's 101 Best New Cocktails 2012 that was sticking out on my bookshelf. Despite having made my way through the book a few times picking out recipes, I still found an unmade gem from Nick Caputo of the Eight Bar in Falmouth, UK. Nick's Foreward was a tequila Last Word variation that opted for crème de peche instead of Maraschino and eschewed the equal parts recipe. Since the metric measurements made it difficult to figure out on my Oxo cup, I reached for my 100 mL graduated cylinder. Technically, I could have hit close using half and one ounce measurements (15 and 30 mL, respectively) and a teaspoon (5 mL) to add or remove a measure (or add two measures), but I had the equipment laying around.

The Foreward gave forth an agave and Green Chartreuse aroma at first before the peach began to creep in on the nose. Next, lime and orchard fruit on the sip led into tequila melding into the peach-Chartreuse combination on the swallow. Our crème de peche is a lot more subtle and natural than many peach liqueurs, so the effect will be different by the identity of this ingredient.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Stir with ice, strain into a rock glass rinsed with Vieux Pontarlier Absinthe (Pernod Absinthe), and garnish with lemon oil from a twist.

After my shift on Saturday, I was in the mood for something spirituous so I turned to the Death & Co. Cocktail Book's section on Sazerac variations. There, I selected Joaquin Simo's 2011 Creole Sazerac; the recipe featured all things French with the Cognac and absinthe being produced in France, and the rum distilled and the bitters invented in the former French colony of Haiti. Once built, the drink gave forth a lemon and anise aroma standard to most Sazeracs. The rich sip led into rum followed by the brandy and the anise-driven spice on the swallow. Indeed, the inclusion of Cognac and utilizing a softer rum provided a gentler version of the D-Day Sazerac.

Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass. Fill with ice and garnish with an orange twist.

For my drink of the day two Saturdays ago at Loyal Nine, I was inspired by revisiting the Rene Barbier with two different guests with good success the night before. In thinking about the combination of apricot and Campari, I considered subbing it into the Rene Barbier's structure. Instead of brandy, I opted for whiskey as the idea of crossing a Slope with a Boulevardier appealed to me. The end result was somewhere between the two, and I knew that I had done well when the first drinker at a table not only re-ordered it but came up later to chat with me about it.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

After my shift two Fridays ago, I turned to Jordan Felix's Under Lock and Key that he created at Portland's Clyde Commons. I uncovered the recipe in the Bols Bartending's Traveling Cocktail Book 2013 collection, and I was hoping that peach liqueur would work as well as rhubarb syrup did in the Old New York Cocktail. Once prepared, the orange twist oils brightened up the Genever's malt on the nose. Next, the sip was filled with the sweet vermouth's grape, and the swallow offered an intriguing Genever transitioning into peach effect with a hint of spice on the finish.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Stir with ice, strain into a coupe, and garnish with a flamed orange twist (omit flamed part).

Two Thursdays ago, I reached for my new Difford's Guide to Cocktails #12 and decided on the Prospector. This was not the Kask or Pourhouse Prospector Cocktails, but one created by Thomas Waugh in 2010 when he was in San Francisco. Since Scotch and Madeira have paired well together in the Robin Wood and 91st Division, I was game to give this a go.

The Prospector shared orange and peaty smoke notes to the nose. Next, grape and malt on the sip were followed up by smoky whisky and herbal notes on the swallow with a cinnamon finish. As Benedictine has paired well in the past with both Madeira and Scotch, it was not too surprising that it was just as much of a success here.

Shake with ice, strain into a Collins glass, and fill with crushed ice. Float 1/2 oz grenadine so it cascades down like blood.

After returning home from my night on the town, I was in the mood for a nightcap. On my computer's hard drive, I uncovered a "recipes to make" file that included a Zombie variation, the Zombie Apocalypse, from a 2013 Grub Street article. The drink was concocted by Jerry Slater of H. Harper Station in Atlanta, and I was later able to locate the recipe in the Zombie Horde book. To add the classic's three rum base, the Zombie Apocalypse included mezcal and brandy in the mix, and similar to the Shipwrecked in Paradise, it contained apricot brandy as well.

The garnishes I added to the Zombie Apocalypse donated mint and floral notes over the recipe's smoky and fruity ones. Next, a lime and fruitiness on the sip led into rum, brandy, smoke, apricot, and earthy orgeat on the swallow.

Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass or Tiki mug. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with 3-4 dash Angostura Bitters.

Two Wednesdays ago, I ventured downtown and stopped in at Stoddard's. For a first drink, I asked bar manager Jamie Walsh for the Shipwrecked in Paradise, and Jamie mentioned that it was the handiwork of bartender Tony Iamunno. With apricot in the mix, the combination reminded me a little of mid-century Zombie recipes. Once prepared, the drink's bitters garnish provided an allspice and clove bouquet to the nose. Next, a rich sip filled with lime and orange notes transitioned into a rum, nutty, and apricot swallow with a spiced pineapple finish.

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a cherry (omit).

Two Tuesdays ago, I had made my first pass through the new Difford's Guide: Volume 12 and picked out a few solid contenders to make. The first on the list was the Picotin from Florian Dubios that he created in 2015 at London's Joyeux Bordel. Overall, the recipe had the feel of a Corpse Reviver #2 except with five parts not to mention a bunch of substitutions. While lemon and Cocchi Americano were kept intact, the herbal spirit was aquavit instead of gin and absinthe. Moreover, the orange liqueur was replaced by gentian and Maraschino liqueurs. Definitely not the exact feel of a Corpse Reviver #2, but I would feel comfortable serving it to a lover of the classic.

The Picotin greeted the nose with an earthy gentian and nutty Maraschino combination that was brightened by lemon and caraway aromas. Next, lemon and cherry on the sip gave way to caraway, nutty, and gentian flavors on the swallow.

Monday, September 12, 2016

Stir with ice, strain into a double Old Fashioned glass with fresh ice, and garnish with an orange twist.

For a first drink at the Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden II, Andrea asked bartender Vannaluck Hongthong for the Harrison Bergeron. Van relayed how the recipe was crafted by Patrick Andrew as a tribute to Kurt Vonnegut as it is named after Vonnegut's 1961 short story. Overall, the recipe was an Amaro Montenegro riff on the Boulevardier similar to the gin-based Eldridge and rum-based Blood of My Enemies.

Once prepared, the Harrison Bergeron began with an orange oil aroma that led into a citrussy grape sip. Next, the swallow began with Bourbon flavors followed by lightly bittered orange notes, and the bitterness began to come through more as the ice melted.

Shake with ice and strain into a Collins glass containing 2 oz soda water. Fill with crushed ice and garnish with a mint sprig and a lime wedge and cherry flag.

Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I made the pilgrimage north to Woburn to have dinner at the Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden II. For a starter, I asked bartender Vannaluck Hongthong for the Dame En Rouge since it seemed like the perfect aperitif. Van described how this was Ran Duan's creation using the rather flavorful sweet vermouth from Maurin, and the name seemed to be a tribute to a 1935 Barbara Stanwyck film. Once prepared, the garnishes delivered pleasing mint and lime notes to the nose. Next, a carbonated grape and lime sip akin to the Fig Leaf Cocktail led into a rather herbal swallow from the vermouth's botanicals.

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Build in a punch bowl, add ice, and stir. Gently mix in 12 oz soda water and garnish with floated lemon twist flowers. Serves 4-6 easily and 2-3 if motivated. Recipe scales down 4 fold rather well.
(*) A moderately strong steep of Earl Grey tea combined with an equal part of sugar. We use Serendi-tea brand.
(**) A 1/2 pound of tamarind concentrate is brought up to 1 quart in hot simple syrup. Perhaps 1/4 oz tamarind concentrate to 3/4 oz simple syrup will work in a pinch.

In the late Spring or early Summer, I changed the large format offering on the menu from Blood of the Kapu Tiki to something more classic to the punch bowl format. One of the flavor combinations that I started with was the trio of brandy, lemon, and Earl Grey which reminded me of a Sidecar given the tea's bergamot aspect. I ended up splitting the spirit with rum and adding a hint of tamarind for an exotic note to complement the tea, and these two additions were similar to the direction we took in the Pattaya Punch. For a name, I went with the Grand Junction after the active, century-and-a-half oldone track rail road that starts near the B.U. Bridge connecting Kenmore Square to Cambridgeport, runs past our restaurant, and ends in East Boston. The majority of the locals and many of our diners are quite familiar with the trains' whistles, and this is definitely one way to help make it all the more bearable.

After my shift two Saturdays ago, I turned to the Pierre Ferrand New York City Cocktail Book for drink ideas. There, I spotted the Banana Hammock by Dan Greenbaum of Attaboy circa 2014. I was drawn to the recipe for it reminded me of a banana-for-orange liqueur Mai Tai similar to the Island Hop and Orana Maria, and it definitely fit my Tiki mood.

The Banana Hammock shared a woody spice, mint, lime, and overproof rum aroma that came across in a cologne sort of way akin to the Rude Boy. Next, the lime paired well with the rum's caramel on the sip, and the swallow offered more rum flavors along with nutty and banana ones.

For the drink of the day at Loyal Nine two weeks ago, I was inspired by the Hoop La cocktail. As I described in that post, it appears in the Savoy Cocktail Book under three other names including the Hey Hey and a nod to Algonquin Round Table member Frank Sullivan. I might have also considered its relation to Last Word variations especially those that were a bit softer with Yellow Chartreuse instead of Green. To mimic the brandy base in the Hoop La, I utilized St. George's Spiced Pear Liqueur and opted for a more herbal base spirit of gin. I had tested the recipe out the week before with a regular as a 3:1:1:1 recipe, and he thought it was a bit thin but delicious. He reordered it as an equal parts number and rather enjoyed it. For a name, I stuck with the Hoop La theme and combined the Hey Hey with another Algonquin Round Table member, Heywood Broun, to form the Hey Heywood!

Two Fridays ago, I turned to a recipe that I had spotted in the Pierre Ferrand's New York City Cocktail Book and traced back to the Death & Co. Cocktail Book called Little Miss Annabelle. The drink was Joaquin Simo's 2009 riff on a Sidecar that superbly brought together pear and Benedictine to take the place of orange liqueur. Once built, the drink offered a Cognac and lemon aroma with a hint of pear. Next, the lemon and pear continued on into the sip, and the swallow shared Cognac and herbal notes with a spice finish.

For my post-work shift drink two Thursdays ago, I reached for the Death & Co. Cocktail Book and found Phil Ward's circa 2008 creation the Shattered Glasser. The background history provided was that Avery Glasser of the Bittermens wanted to drink all of his favorite ingredients in a single glass, and Phil conjured up this three-spirited Manhattan riff of sorts. The idea of crafting a drink after Avery's whim reminded me of the Bird Bath where he wanted to drink something made with only bird-themed ingredients. Once prepared, the Shattered Glasser offered smoky agave, funky Batavia Arrack, and hints of chocolate to the nose. Next, the vermouth's grape dominated the sip, and the swallow began with agave and Batavia Arrack notes paired with herbal and chocolate ones and ended with an allspice finish.

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass or into a rocks glass with a big ice cube. Garnish with a lemon twist.

After getting home from Trina's Starlite Lounge, I decided to figure out a nightcap plan. The recipe solution came to me via the BarNotes website (I do not have an iPhone to use their app) where I had earlier stumbled upon Rafa Garcia Febles' Young Marble Giants tribute, Colossal Youth. Rafa's recipe was a riff on Colin Shearn's Transatlantic Giant from Beta Cocktails except with mezcal and Campari instead of the original's Bourbon and Cynar.

The Colossal Youth shared lemon oil notes over the drink's rum funk and mezcal smoke aromas. Next, a dark berry from the sloe liqueur mingled with the caramel on the sip, and the swallow gave forth smoky agave, Jamaican rum funk, chocolate, and bitter orange flavors. Indeed, the recipe proved to be just as colossal as Shearn's cocktail giant.

Shake once without ice and once with, strain into a large coupe glass, and garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Two Wednesdays ago, I stopped into Trina's Starlite Lounge for dinner when bartenders Tainah Soares and Cory Buono were working. For a drink, I asked Tainah for the Movin' to the Country that she described as Tony Iamunno's creation. I was drawn to the drink for the combination of Campari and peach is a great one that I learned through Derek Brown's Bitter Peach and tinkered with in my Campeche. Once prepared, the Movin' to the Country's grapefruit twist brightened the orange and peach aroma. Next, a creamy grape sip led into a peach swallow with a soft, rounded bitterness and an orange finish.

For a second drink at Estragon, I narrowed my choices down to two in Sahil Mehta's drink notebook, and I let Sahil pick this unnamed tropical drink of the day. The recipe reminded me of a Mai Tai with the orange liqueur aspect split into banana liqueur and falernum. Since Mai Tai was based on a Tahitian phrase, I looked up the Tahitian word for banana, and their indigenous fe'i banana almost steered me into calling this the Fei Tai. However, the search led me to Paul Gaugin who included Tahitian bananas in a few of his paintings including the 1891 La Orana Maria. Sahil expressed great joy in the art connection, so I dubbed this one the Orana Maria.

The Orana Maria presented a banana aroma accented by clove spice to the nose. Next, lime and the rum's caramel on the sip transitioned to rum, nutty, and banana notes on the swallow with a spice-laden finish.

Two Tuesdays ago, Andrea and I traveled down to the South End to have dinner at Estragon. For a first drink, I asked Sahil Mehta for one of his previous drinks of the day. I was drawn in by Cynar, sherry, and coffee liqueur combination and was left intrigued by the three way split of base spirits with rum, Scotch, and Bourbon. For a name, I dubbed this the Bootlegger's Breakfast with the bootlegger part due to the collection of odds and ends a bootlegger might have on hand and the breakfast part due to the coffee and cigarettes idea.

The Bootlegger's Breakfast brought forth sherry's grape and Scotch's smoke to the nose. Next, a malty, grape, and caramel sip led into whisky smoke, Cynar's herbal, and coffee flavors on the swallow.

Monday, September 5, 2016

Shake with cracked ice, pour into a Zombie mug, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Two Mondays ago, I was flipping through Beachbum Berry's Remixed and spotted Jeff Berry's minimalized version of Don the Beachcomber's 1934 Zombie. This circa 2007 "Zombie (simplified)" adaptation stripped away the spice trio of falernum, Angostura, and absinthe as well as a third rum and the grenadine, and I was curious as to the result.

Once built, this Zombie shared mint and floral notes from the garnishes. Next, lime and grapefruit paired with the rum's caramel on the sip, and the swallow offered funky rum notes from the Coruba and jet fuel ferocity from the El Dorado overproof with a cinnamon finish. Overall, the lack of grenadine changed little but the third rum could have rounded out the spirit aspect. Moreover, the lost spice notes from the trio decreased the complexity, but it still left a rather enjoyable libation.

Sunday, September 4, 2016

Shake with ice, strain into a Nick & Nora cocktail glass, and garnish with a lime wheel-cherry flag.

Two Sundays ago after my shift, I decided to make a drink from Town & Country's 17 Cocktail Recipes that Logic Says Shouldn't Work (But Do) article called Los Batman. The recipe was created by Blake Pope of Kindred in Davidson, North Carolina, as a Tequila Sour made funky with Cynar and Batavia Arrack. As I reached for the bottle of tequila on the top shelf, I disturbed a summertime visitor of a little brown bat who then took a few laps around my kitchen before returning to roost in my bottles. Building my nightcap took a pause as I donned winter gloves and was able to capture the bat and safely deposit him outdoors. So in honor of the wee bat that I told "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here," I finished preparing the Los Batman and toasted him.

The Los Batman offered the agave's vegetal notes to the nose along with the lime garnish aroma. The lime continued on into the rich sip, and the swallow was a combination of tequila, funkiness from the Batavia Arrack, and vegetal bitterness from the Cynar.

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass; I added a lemon twist.

After researching the Applejack Rabbit, two Saturdays ago I decided to make a variation I discovered called the Old Vermont that David Embury mentioned in his The Art of Mixing Drinks. Instead of the applejack in the better known classic, the Old Vermont called for gin and bitters. Embury recommended a 6:1:1:1 ratio, but I opted for the PDT Cocktail Book's structure for the Applejack Rabbit that worked well a week before.

The Old Vermont shared a lemon, orange, and pine aroma that transitioned well into the rich orange and lemon sip. Next, the swallow presented gin, orange, and maple flavors with an allspice and clove finish. Overall, the drink was not that different from the Applejack Rabbit save for being a bit drier and more herbal and spiced.

Friday, September 2, 2016

Whip shake, strain into a Collins glass, and fill with crushed ice. Dash the top with Angostura Bitters to form a layer and then top with more crushed ice. Garnish with nutmeg, lemon wheel, and a paper umbrella.

Two Fridays ago, I was looking through Pierre Ferrand's New York City Cocktail Book and I spotted a drink called the Henry Trotter that reminded me a little of the Democrat crossed with a Japanese. Once prepared, the Henry Trotter offered nutmeg, allspice, and hints of grape to the nose. Next, a rich lemon and grape sip gave way to a Cognac-driven swallow that paired well with a nutty element which was sherry-ish from the peach, orgeat, and vermouth elements.

Thursday, September 1, 2016

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.

Two Thursdays ago, I spotted a recipe by Sasha Petraske in 1210 Cocktails; with the first anniversary of his death then approaching and now just passed, I figured it would be a decent tribute. With rye, vermouth, and Amaro Montenegro, the Fallback reminded me a bit of the Cobble Hill; however, the latter's cucumber donated a more summery feel whereas the Fallback's apple lent a more autumnal flavor.

The Fallback shared an orange and apple aroma that led into a malt, grape, and citrus sip. Finally, the swallow proffered rye and bitter orange notes with an apple-laden finish.

who? what?

The euphemisms are getting a bit stale, suffice to say: four people in Boston -- two of whom are much more prolific writers than the other two (including the originator of this blog, who has no excuse apart from laziness) -- who drink and tell.

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The 2017 collection of 855 drink recipes, bartender tributes, and essays on hospitality from CocktailVirgin's Frederic Yarm. Available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

The 2012 collection of 505 drink recipes, techniques, and Boston bar recommendations from Frederic Yarm. Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.